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Asked about reliever Matt Albers, a heavyset reliever who is beginning his second season with the Sox, Valentine said, “Don’t let his body fool you, because he’s a pretty good pitcher.”

Listed at 6-foot, 225 pounds, Albers made 56 relief appearances last season, working 642â„3 innings. He went 4-4 with a 4.73 ERA and had periods of brilliance early in the season. But he struggled in August and September, allowing 29 hits in 212â„3 innings.

“We looked at work load a little, and that must have been a contributing factor,” Valentine said. “I get it. He was one of the good pitchers, and they used him. Use your good pitchers. There were a lot of games he was needed.”

But it wouldn’t hurt Albers to be in better shape, something he said he worked on in the offseason. Albers said he hasn’t kept track of his exact weight.

“I am in better shape than I was last year,” Albers said. “I wanted to come in and be ready to go and be able to do my job for the entire season. My diet was a little better and I did more cardio — the stuff that anybody would do to lose weight. Eat better, work out more. But I’ve always been a big guy. I don’t think my weight has fluctuated much.”

Valentine said Albers, who threw yesterday, has been working on his two-seam fastball. Albers said he’s working on his changeup.

“Having a couple of other pitches will help me in situations,” Albers said. “If one pitch isn’t working too well, I’ll have something else to work off of, and the changeup will help me against left-handed hitters. I’ve always had it, but it’s something I was getting away from. Last year I was mostly fastball and slider, which worked pretty well until I lost my slider a little at times, and then you’re stuck with one pitch.

“I’m going to take a lot of the good from last year and just try to stay consistent.”